Since Connecticut became a U.S. state in 1788,[1] it has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives, beginning with the 1st United States Congress in 1789.[2] Each state elects two senators to serve for six years in general elections, with their re-election staggered. Prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were elected by the Connecticut General Assembly.[3] Each state elects varying numbers of members of the House, depending on population, to two-year terms.[4] Connecticut has sent five members to the House in each congressional delegation since the 2000 United States Census.[5]
A total of 292 unique individuals have represented Connecticut in Congress; Connecticut has had 57 senators and 259 representatives, and 24 have served in both the House and the Senate. Nine women from Connecticut have served in the House, the first being Clare Booth Luce,[6] while none have served in the Senate.[7] Two African-Americans from Connecticut, Gary Franks and Jahana Hayes, have served in the House.[8]
The current dean, or longest serving member, of the Connecticut delegation is Representative Rosa DeLauro of the 3rd district, who has served in the House since 1991. She is the longest-serving House member in Connecticut history, and the second longest-serving member of Congress from Connecticut, behind Chris Dodd, who served 36 years combined in the House and Senate.[9] Dodd is also Connecticut's longest-serving senator.[10]
- ^ "Connecticut 235th Anniversary of Statehood (1788): January 9, 2023". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ Biographical directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005: the Continental Congress, September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788, and the Congress of the United States, from the First through the One Hundred Eighth Congresses, March 4, 1789, to January 3, 2005, inclusive (PDF). Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. 2005. p. 54. ISBN 0-16-073176-3. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913) | National Archives". National Archives. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. September 15, 2021. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ "Congressional elections and midterm elections | USAGov". USAgov. Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ Pazniokas, Mark (December 8, 2021). "CT's contorted congressional map to get tweaks, not overhaul". CT Mirror. The Connecticut News Project. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ctpost-women-housewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Connecticut - Center for American Women and Politics". Rutgers New-Brunswick Eagleton Institute of Politics. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ "African American Members of the U.S. Congress: 1870-2020". Congressional Research Service. December 15, 2020.
- ^ Putterman, Alex (March 7, 2024). "Who is Rosa DeLauro? 5 things to know about the CT congresswoman". CT Insider. Hearst Media Services Connecticut. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ Keck, Kristi (January 6, 2010). "Recent controversies overshadow Chris Dodd's career - CNN.com". CNN. Cable News Network. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2024.